From volunteer to career in the ambulance sector; Retail Crime Action Plan shows early impact

Every weekday morning we bring you the sector’s freshest news stories, starting today with a piece by Helen Vine, assistant director at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), on how individuals can transition from ambulance volunteers to fully fledged careers within the ambulance service.

There’s also an update on the Retail Crime Action Plan, which is already showing positive results since being launched in October 2023.

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From volunteer to career in the ambulance sector

Ambulance volunteers are an important part of delivering high quality services to the public.

Helen Vine, assistant director at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), explains how ambulance trust volunteering teams have been working to simplify the transition from volunteer to career, especially for clinical, patient facing roles. More via Emergency Services Times

Met to use Violence Harm Assessment to identify most harmful individuals in London

Following extensive consultation, the Metropolitan Police will use the Violence Harm Assessment (VHA) instead of the Gangs Violence Matrix (GVM) to identify and risk assess the most harmful individuals who are involved in violence in London. More via Metropolitan Police

Historic Sussex fire station to get ‘once in a generation’ investment

An historic fire station is benefitting from a ‘once in a generation investment’ of nearly £5 million.

The investment in Preston Circus Community Fire Station, was built in the 1930s, will ‘fit the needs of the 21st Century and beyond’, while protecting the ‘landmark’ curved front of the station. More via Sussex World

Policing Retail Crime Action Plan shows early impact

The Retail Crime Action Plan, commissioned by the Policing Minister and developed by policing in partnership with Government to drive down retail crime, is already showing positive results.

Of over 1,500 crimes reviewed across all retailers, police attended 60 per cent where violence had been used, with 16 per cent of forces sampled reporting 100 per cent attendance to this type of incident. More via National Police Chiefs’ Council

Commissioners appoint interim chief fire officer in South Wales

Stuart Millington is the new interim Chief Fire Officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, joining the service on secondment from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service where he is currently Assistant Chief Fire Officer. More via Emergency Services Times

Drumchapel bus provider agrees ambulance partnership

A Drumchapel community transport service, which also serves residents in Clydebank, will be doubling the number of people they help after securing a partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

G15 Buses will add an Outpatient Connector service to hospitals in the Greater Glasgow area in a bid to offer a low-cost alternative to help those not able to make use of their Patient Transport Service (PTS). More via Clydebank Post

Motorola Solutions signs agreement with Google Cloud

Motorola Solutions and Google Cloud have announced a strategic, multi-year agreement that will focus on innovating cloud solutions across Motorola Solutions’ safety and security technologies.

Motorola Solutions said that with Google Cloud’s infrastructure it will prioritise the advancement of assistive intelligence, including highly accurate and reliable video content delivery, mapping and AI capabilities, to help address real-world safety challenges. More via Emergency Services Times

London Fire Brigade creates fire safety training package for security and facilities staff

London Fire Brigade has worked with partners to create an online training package, Project Kestrel, for security and facilities personnel to equip them with greater fire safety knowledge.

Project Kestrel was developed in partnership with the City of London Crime Prevention Association and the Corporation of London following a multi-agency exercise, which identified the opportunity to enhance the role of security professionals. More via London Fire Brigade